New York, I Love You
by cintapopia
Summary: When Finn Hudson met Rachel Berry, he sort of knew that they were meant for each other.
1. Chapter 1: Curiosity Kills The Cat

_Hi everyone!_

_I'm back with another story! I'm trying to tackle a future fic of Finchel - with a twist :-) It might have been done before, but I never read one yet so apologies if it might sound familiar with other stories you might've read._

_This few weeks ahead will be crazy-hectic for me. There is still life and responsibilities outside my happy glee bubble that I need to attend to, but I promise I will try my best to update regularly. I don't know how long this story is going to be, but I really hope that I can make it always interesting for you._

_Thank you so much for taking the time to read this story. I hope I won't disappoint you :-)_

_Reviews/comments/feedbacks/criticisms/corrections are welcome - As I don't live in New York, I might make mistakes here and there. Feel free to let me know :-)_

_Until then!_

_Disclaimer: Glee isn't mine. Oh how wish it was._

* * *

Finn Hudson stood up in the queue of the little coffee shop on 103rd & Broadway. It was a chilly November morning, and he wanted nothing more than a cup of long macchiato to go. He glanced at his wristwatch; thank goodness he woke up earlier today, if he had decided to linger a bit more in bed, he would've been so late for work.

He didn't usually drink coffee, but he was up late last night watching a football game on ESPN and he needed the caffeine boost to fully wake him up. The coffee machine in his workplace was crap; this coffee shop made the best coffees he had ever tasted. It was almost totally worth the long queue and the twenty minutes wait.

"Morning, Rachel! The usual?" the old barista greeted a petite girl in the front of the queue. She was about two people ahead of Finn.

"Good morning to you, John. Yes, I'll have my usual Hazelnut Latte and a bagel, please." Finn looked up. That girl's voice is very unusual – it sounded really… chirpy. And it sounded like singing.

"That will be $3.50. The bagel's on the house," the Barista said as he gave the girl her order. The old man gave her a warm smile.

"Why, thank you John! You surely made my morning."

Wow. Finn thought to himself. She sounded really prim and proper. He had never heard anyone talk like that anymore – except in black and white movies (Not that he watched any. He _didn't_!). Finn stretched his neck, wanting to see what the girl looked like. It was really hard, because she was so tiny and the people in front of Finn blocked his sight of her.

"Have a good day, John. I shall see you tomorrow morning,"

She put a five-dollar note in the tip jar before she turned around from the queue. Finn locked his gaze on her, but she was wearing a hat and Finn couldn't see her face. He could only see her hair – long, dark brown and wavy. She walked pass Finn and the smell of strawberries tickled his nose. He noticed the way she walked – it was not a walk, it was more like she was prancing, or gliding even.

"Morning. What can I get you today?" the same barista greeted Finn, snapping him back to reality from his own thoughts.

"Just a long macchiato to go, thanks," Finn gave him his dollar and told him to keep the change. The Barista looked on to him gratefully.

"Who is that girl you were talking to earlier?" he asked – almost whispering, obviously unable to hide his curiousness.

"Sorry if I sounded like a creep, but her voice is very unusual – in a good way,"

"Oh, that's Rachel. She comes every morning for her usual coffee. Yes, she sounds lovely, doesn't she?" the barista smiled at Finn. He nodded, and took his coffee from him.

"She'll be here again tomorrow morning. Y'know, if that's what you wanted to know,"

"Er… thanks," Finn felt his cheek warmed – oh God, was he_ blushing_?_ So not cool, Hudson._

"Anytime. So, I'll see you tomorrow morning then?" the question hit Finn like he was just hit by a subway.

How did the old man know what he was thinking? Was 'single and ready to mingle' written on his forehead? Sure, he was curious about the girl, but didn't mean that he's attracted to her – _right?_ That would be crazy! He didn't even know what she looked like!

Finn didn't know how to respond so he replied with a half-smile instead, before he stepped away from the counter and continued his journey to work absent-mindedly.

"I thought so too," the barista mumbled to himself as he watched Finn walked out the coffee shop.

...

Finn couldn't believe that he was sitting in the coffee shop again the next morning. He intentionally woke up even earlier than usual and actually made the effort of making sure he looked _extra_ presentable. He couldn't concentrate at work at all yesterday – he kept on repeating the girl's voice in his head.

He ordered the same coffee and the same barista was serving him, but this time he didn't have it to go. The old man just nodded and smiled knowingly. Somehow, Finn felt like the barista knew he was going to come back - for coffee and something else on the side. Finn chose a table nearest to the counter; his heart was beating faster than usual. Weird. He didn't even know this girl or how she looked like; but something in her voice haunted him like the ghost of Christmas past.

_Stay cool, Hudson. Stay cool._ He thought to himself, opening up the newspaper he just bought and pretended to read. His heart jumped a bit every time someone came into the shop. After fifteen minutes, he was about to give up. She hadn't show up and he needed to get going. He sipped the last drop of his coffee and stood up unwillingly.

But then he saw her. Rachel. She was wearing a navy blue trench coat, with black turtleneck. Her gloves are dark red and she was wearing a black skirt and black boots. She walked with such poise and grace, as if she owned the world and everyone in it.

His jaw dropped a bit. Her skin was olive, which totally compliments her long dark locks. Her nose was very distinctive. Her cheeks were rosy red from the cold weather outside. And her eyes. _Oh God, her eyes._

She was a _goddess._

"Good morning, John. How are you today?" she greeted the barista.

There it is; the voice, like a melody to Finn's ears. He stared at her, unable to move. Not wanting to move, to be honest. She was chatting with the barista as he was making her usual order.

Should he say something, like, introduce himself? Maybe he should ask her out? Does she have a boyfriend? Maybe he should go to the counter and pretend to talk to John about the weather or something to catch her attention? _No, that was lame! Come on, you've done this before! _

When Finn snapped back to reality, she was nowhere in sight. Rachel had left. He really wanted to kick himself for letting the opportunity slipped away. He cursed a little under his breath, gathering his things and walked towards the door.

"Hey, young man!" Finn turned around.

"Don't worry, she'll be here tomorrow morning as well," the barista shouted and half of the people in the queue were now staring at Finn. He gave him a quick nod and walked – no, almost sprinted – to the door. _That was embarrassing._

Finn couldn't concentrate at work again that day. He'd been thinking about Rachel all day long.

His memories flashed back to his last serious girlfriend, Quinn, while he was in high school. Quinn sure was pretty – head cheerleader, long blonde hair, green eyes and a body that made guys weak in the knees. The typical all American girl, same as the other girls he had been seeing after Quinn.

But this girl, there was something about her that drove him crazy. He needed to find out what it was before he loses sanity.

***TBC***


	2. Chapter 2: Is It Me You're Looking For?

_Hellooooooo..._

_I'm back again with the second chapter! Wow, I have to say that I'm truly overwhelmed by the generous kind reviews that you guys have made, and also the readers who had took their time to read this - and made it as their 'story alert'. I am so honored! These kind of experiences had really drive me to write more. I had made some supportive wonderful friends doing this :)_

_Anyway - I hope you will enjoy this chapter as I enjoyed writing it. It's a brand new challenge trying to write Finn/Rachel like they were strangers, drawn by cosmic powers, destined to be together, and it had been really fun. I'm trying to also incorporate the other Glee casts slowly, and hopefully, rationally. It's kinda hard to make up background stories other than the ones we already knew in Glee... but I'll try my best!_

_Reviews/comments/feedbacks/criticisms/corrections are more than welcome in my happy glee bubble. Apologies for any misspelling, grammar mistakes, etc - I had to rush a bit in finishing this chapter because I couldn't wait any longer! The story was the only thing in my mind today while I'm doing my routines._

_Til the next one! Go Glee!_

_Disclaimer: Glee isn't mine. If it was, there wouldn't be any hiatus what-so-ever._

* * *

Finn sat at the same table, ordered the same coffee and read newspaper. The barista even now know Finn's order as he asked him, "The usual?" when he ordered. He even said "good luck today" which Finn replied with an uncomfortable smile. _Really, how did he do it? Was he a mind reader or something? That would be totally creepy._

It had been a whole week since that fateful day. He saw Rachel every morning in this coffee shop and he hadn't say anything to her. He was just staring at her from afar and tried to work up the courage to approach her. And by the time he would tell himself to man up and just get through with it, she would already left.

He replayed the scenario he had planned in his head. He would walk up to her and introduce himself. He would ask whether she wanted to go to dinner with him this weekend. Then he would take her to walk in Central Park and probably rode a carriage. Then he would ask her to marry him and they would live happily ever after…

_Hang on, what the hell was that? Come on, Hudson! Get a grip of yourself._ He slapped himself in the head.

He was so drown in his thoughts that he didn't realize that someone was now standing right beside him. He looked up and he couldn't believe whom he saw.

"Hello," her melodic voice greeted him. "I'm Rachel Berry," she extended her right hand.

"H-Hi," Finn replied and shook her hand. He felt a jolt of electricity shooting through his veins.

"And you are?"

"I'm F-Finn Hudson," _Cool it, dude! Breathe. Breathe. Breathe. Oh God. She's here. Talking. To me._

"That's a very nice name," she smiled and he felt his heart soar through his chest. "I have been noticing you sitting on the same table every morning this week. I thought I'd introduce myself. Can I join you?" _Way to go, Hudson. She has more balls than you._

"Um, yeah. I… um. Please, sit down," he mumbled, gesturing her to sit down on the empty seat. Rachel graciously nodded and sat down in front of him.

He had never felt this nervous before. He had scored quite a few dates himself before and he had girls throwing themselves at him. He wasn't that big of a player like his buddy, Puck, but he certainly knew how to play the game. But, this girl, Rachel… she was different. She was something else.

"So, Finn. Do you usually come here often?"

Finn tried to answer but nothing came out. All he can say were two things: "Yeah" and "um". He must've looked really stupid and goofy right now because Rachel giggled all of the sudden. _Great, you blew it. Now she'll think you're a dork and she would never talk to you again._

"Relax, Finn. It's okay," she touched his hand slightly and he felt that thundering sensation again.

"I am really sorry if I caught you off guard. But John, there…" she glanced at the old barista at the counter, "Said that you had been enquiring about me and wanting to talk to me all week,"

Finn felt his face turned red.

"As I said before, I had been noticing you too and I know how hard it is to start up a conversation, so I thought I'd help you out a little,"

Finn couldn't believe what he heard. This girl noticed _him_?

"I hope that's alright with you. I didn't want to scare you or anything. It would be nice to be friends with you," she had that genuine concern look on her face. She was even more beautiful up close.

"N-No, of course. I mean – yes, it's fine. It's totally fine," he finally found himself able to form an almost-normal sentence.

"Good," she breathed and flashed a sincere smile. "Well then, I still have fifteen minutes before I have to go…"

In that fifteen minute, Finn had finally figured out why her voice sounded like music. The native New Yorker was an understudy in a Broadway play, 'Spring Awakening'. He wondered how she would sound when she sang. He bet she would be pretty amazing.

She graduated from Julliard just four months ago. "With honors," she added. When she was telling him on how she would become a huge Broadway star and win a Tony one day, he swore he could see a glow beaming out of her. _(He didn't know that there was an award called 'Tony'. He would definitely Google it later)_

"Anyway, enough about me. How about yourself?"

Finn wasn't sure what to tell her about himself. He lived a pretty uneventful life and his achievements were nowhere near Rachel's. It would have been pretty embarrassing; but the gleam in her eyes made Finn strangely comfortable. He felt like he had known her _for years._

_Maybe he did, in another life._

He began to tell her that he was a small town boy from Lima, Ohio; who came to New York just about a year ago. The reason for his move was he didn't want to be a Lima loser. He was now working as a football coach in a quite prestigious New York middle school – St Jude's. He lived here with his stepbrother who was also trying his luck in Broadway, just like her.

"Oh really? What is his name? This is a small world, who knows I might actually know your stepbrother, Finn,"

"Hummel. Kurt Hummel," he said while having another sip of his coffee, thinking to himself that the coffee today tasted better than usual. Or maybe it was because Rachel was here, talking to him.

"I know him! We are in the same play! He is the understudy for the role of Hanschen. It is indeed a small world,"

Finn didn't know who this Hanschen fella was. Kurt might have mentioned it to him the other night, but he just wasn't listening. He couldn't be bothered to listen. He now wished he listened a bit more – that way he could maybe impressed Rachel with his 'musical knowledge'. He promised himself to ask Kurt about the play later at home (and to get some more information on Rachel).

Rachel looked at her wristwatch. "Oh gosh, I didn't realize what time it is! I have to go now or I will be very very late; that could do serious damage in my bright career as a Broadway star,"

To be honest, Finn didn't want their fifteen minutes conversation to end. He wanted it to be… longer. Way longer. Finn had this strange sensation in his chest, like, he had been missing her _terribly_. That would be totally crazy, right? How could he miss someone he just met and was sitting in front of him?

"So, I'll see you tomorrow morning then?" Rachel said as she stood up, ready to go to work.

Finn nodded, "Yeah, see you tomorrow morning," He was pleasantly surprised. He had scored himself another date with Rachel. Or whatever it was. A friendly get-together. A get-to-know-each-other-better gesture.

Rachel smiled her megawatt smile, "Nice talking to you, Finn. Have a good day at work," she said as she walked out the door and waved goodbye.

Finn let out a breath that he didn't realize he'd been holding. Finn glanced at John who grinned and gave him a thumbs-up. He couldn't help himself to not flash a huge grin. He made a mental note to put extra tip in the jar tomorrow.

***TBC***


	3. Chapter 3: The Devil Wears Prada

_Hi everyone!_

_So sorry for the lack of update this past week. I am so swamped with stuff and my head feels like it's about to explode! And to be quite honest - this story is the only constant thing I have in my mind. I finally managed to sneak back in to my happy glee bubble, although it's only for a short while. This chapter is quite short, as I really don't have a longer time to add more stuff in, but I promise I will update asap :-) I hope this chapter was worth your wait, if not then please bear with me, I promise I'll put on more effort on the next chapters to come :-) It's getting interesting!_

_Happy belated 4th of July to all my American friends as well! I hope y'all had a great time celebrating it :-) _

_Reviews/feedbacks/comments/critics/corrections are more than welcome :-) Thank you for taking the time to read this humble work of mine :-)_

_Til next time! Yay Glee! Glee kids, hooray!_

_Disclaimer: I, still, don't own Glee._

* * *

Finn threw himself on the couch and turned on ESPN. It was quite a tough day at work; the team had worked extra hard since they were having a _friendly_ match against one of the school from Brooklyn next Saturday. He wondered why they called it a friendly match; there was nothing friendly about it. Blood, sweat and tears, literally. He felt so exhausted. He wasn't the sixteen year old boy he was anymore. He just turned twenty four a couple of months ago, and he felt old. Those kids in the team can outran him anytime. He really needed to get back in shape.

It was almost seven in the afternoon and Finn started to wonder why Kurt wasn't home yet. He never waited for Kurt; he enjoyed being the sole master of the remote control and not having to argue with his stepbrother on changing the channel to watch Project Runway. But Finn discovered an interesting fact today; Kurt knew Rachel Berry.

This might sound freaky, but in that fifteen minutes conversation, he had memorized how Rachel Berry looked. In a glance, her eyes were brown. But if you look closely, it was not just brown. It was chocolate with gold sparkles in it. Her long dark brunette locks had red highlights when the sunshine hit it. Her lip was full and pink; he could just imagine how it would taste like. Her image was running on repeat in his head.

His thoughts halted when he heard the front door opening.

"Kurt!" he dashed up from the couch. Kurt was carrying four huge shopping bags adorned with designer name that he wasn't familiar with.

"Hello, Finn. That was nice of you welcoming me home,"

"How come you're home so late?" Finn took two of the bags from Kurt's grasp, helping him since the bags practically drowned his slender figure.

"There was a huge sale in Marc Jacobs. That place is war zone. I swear I almost got scratched by one of that bitchy fashion victims with long acrylic nails," Kurt shuddered at his last sentence.

"Brutal," Finn nodded while carrying Kurt's bags inside. Kurt shot him a puzzled look.

"Okay, who are you and what have you done to my stepbrother? You never once asked me nor care about why I came home late. What do you want?"

"Nothing!" Finn shrugged, trying to cover up being called on his bluff. He had never been a good bluffer.

"Oh come on, Finn Hudson! Don't you underestimate Kurt Hummel. That look on your face - It's like you're trying to convince me that this Prada jacket I'm wearing is actually a Louis Vuitton," Finn had that blank look on his face. _What the hell was he talking about?_

"It meant I would know that you were lying," Kurt rolled his eyes while putting down his shopping bags on the dining table. "I have something you want,"

Kurt began to take out his 'spoils of war'. He smiled softly as he stroked the surface of a navy blue jacket that he purchased, complete with matching scarves, shirt and fedora hat.

"Spill," he said without even looking up at Finn.

"Fine,"

"I'm listening," Kurt said, now admiring the scarves that he had bought.

"I need you to tell me everything you know about Rachel Berry,"

Kurt stopped what he was doing and looked up at Finn, arching his eyebrow. "How did you know Rachel Berry? You didn't even watch musicals,"

"I saw her at the coffee shop about a week ago, and kind of got introduced to her," Finn stared at his foot, his hands on his hip. "She said she was on that Spring Awakening Broadway thing, and when I mentioned that you were on a Broadway as well, she told me she knows you and-" Finn's blabbering was cut off by Kurt.

"You have a crush on her," Kurt grinned, leaning back on the chair and crossed his arms.

"No, I don't! I was just curious!"

"Finn. That look that I was just telling you about – you're doing it again. You're such a bad liar, Finn. No wonder you always lost at Poker," Finn scoffed at the last sentence. He did not lose in Poker because he was a bad liar; it was just he always had bad hands! And Kurt was really good at Poker. _Damn it._

"Well, Rachel Berry is a _diva_. She's bossy; almost tyrannical. A control-freak and pushy,"

"Really?"

"Yes. But she is also very talented, I must say. So I guess, she had the goods to back it up. I don't really know her well but-"

"She got a boyfriend?" Finn cut him off.

"I knew it! You have a crush on her!" Kurt was doing his ridiculous 'I-told-you-so' dance complete with the song he made up to go with it.

"Just answer my question," Finn groaned in frustration.

"As far as I know, she is single,"

_Yes!_ Finn did a little air-punch on his own.

"But,"

_There's a but?_

"There's a rumour going around that she and her co-star developed some romantic tendencies towards each other. I've seen them left together a few times after rehearsal,"

Finn took a deep breath, trying to act cool although deep inside his blood was boiling on the thought of Rachel with some flamboyant charming guy. He didn't know that she would have this effect on him.

"Tell me about this guy,"

"Slow down, Romeo. It's seven and I almost missed my weekly Heidi Klum dose. I have Project Runway to catch,"

"I'll Tivo it, and you can watch it later. Just tell me about this co-star dude," Finn pleaded.

"Hmm… No. Project Runway is a big deal for me so you have to come up with a better offer than that, Loverboy,"

"Fine. I'll forfeit the use of remote control for a month so you can watch as many Project Runway reruns as you like,"

"Not good enough,"

"Alright, alright! Two months!"

"Why don't you put a little cherry on top of the sundae, Finn?"

"And, I'll get you your monthly Vogue magazine for two months. Take it or leave it, Hummel,"

"Deal," Kurt eyes' gleamed with victory. He extended his right hand and Finn shook it.

"Deal. Now tell me about this guy,"

***TBC***


	4. Chapter 4: Killing Me Softly

_Hello my fellow gleeks :-)_

_It is now Thursday, 8th July in Australia (where I live) and I am officially a year older :-) Yes, it's my birthday today!_

_As a birthday treat from me to you - here is the fourth chapter of the story... I really hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it! I kinda feel that this chapter gets too cheesy in certain parts, but I promise to make it up to you. Sorry to disappoint anyone out thereeeee... I am working on the next chapter already, hopefully I can post it asap._

_Reviews/comments/criticisms/corrections/feedbacks are more than welcome in my happy glee bubble! Thank you for taking the time to read and support this story :-)_

_Til next time..._

_Disclaimer: I do not own Glee. If I did, I would have them ALL here to sing me happy birthday with a giant fake cake with Cory Monteith inside as my present :-)_

* * *

Finn waited for Rachel anxiously in the coffee shop. It had been their fifth get-together. He had arrived earlier than she did, and had the initiative to order her usual Hazelnut Latte. He didn't forget to put extra tip for Joe either; Joe smiled in anticipation when Finn put a five-dollar note in the tip jar.

He went to his usual cosy corner table, newspaper in hand. He quickly flipped the pages into the sports section and glanced once in a while to the front door, wishing that _his _sunshine would come sooner to his grey sky morning. Her smile always managed to brightened up his morning. It might sound really cheesy but he never felt this way before about _anyone_. And it had only been five meetings.

The funny thing was, they never actually made a promise to see each other every morning. They just _did_, like it was automatic; a routine that was inevitable. They eased into it, like when a riverbank found its way to the sea. It was unscripted, spontaneous, natural and instinctive.

Finn had not had the chance to ask Rachel about that co-star of hers. He had been wanting too, but he thought it would be best to let Rachel think that he wasn't this freaky stalker guy who was overly obsessed with her _(Kurt had said that he was about to cross that line)_. Things had been so great with Rachel so far, and he intended to keep it that way, or better. Way better. He'd figure that he would be able to tell whether Rachel was into him or that other guy sooner or later with her actions.

"Finn!" Rachel came through the front door, half running.

Finn smiled his lop-sided smile and waved to her from the table.

"I'm so sorry I'm late, Misty had been giving me grief all morning," She sat down while trying to catch her breath. Misty was Rachel's grey Persian cat. Finn wasn't much of a cat-person; he personally preferred big hunky dogs, like, Labrador or Golden Retriever.

"I ordered your Hazelnut Latte," Finn slid a cup to her. She beamed with gratitude.

"Why, thank you Finn! You're real chivalrous!"

Finn made a mental note to look that word up. One thing that she noticed straight away about Rachel _(apart from her smoking hot body, her beauty and elegance)_ was the way she used big words. Like she was this walking dictionary. One time, when she was giving him a lesson about musicals, she described High School Musical as 'an excruciatingly painful excuse for a musical'. Finn had to look up almost every major vocabulary she had thrown into their conversations. Thank goodness for mobile Internet and .

Rachel blissfully sipped her latte; the foam left her a milk-moustache. Finn had to consciously and purposely restrained himself from wiping it off her lips.

"You have.. er… something," he pointed to her upper lip.

"Oh! Oh my!" she giggled while wiping it with the napkin. "Thanks for telling me, Finn. I wouldn't want to walk around Manhattan looking like a 'Got Milk?' advertisement,"

"So, how was rehearsal last night? Kurt told me it was torture,"

"It was! We had to re-do a scene multiple times just because the chorus line couldn't even _make_ an effort to do their dance number right. The choreography was not hard at all. I actually memorised it and I could do it with my eyes closed _and _still run laps around all of them,"

Kurt was right. Rachel was a diva. But Finn had also known that she had the goods to back it up, even Kurt agreed with it. Two nights ago, Kurt had brought home a recording of Rachel rehearsing 'Whispering' from her Broadway play; Finn listened intently as he hold his breath. She sounded absolutely amazing. Finn had no doubt the she could definitely do the chorus line's number without even opening her eyes and ran laps around them.

"I bet tonight would be a long night of rehearsal then?"

"Well, not really. It was supposed to be my night off, but I had to come to the theatre to rehearse a song. It shouldn't take too long,"

"Oh, that's good. Any plans after?"

"No. I probably will just go home straight away to Misty and watch black and white movies on the couch,"

Finn swallowed a little bit. He, at least, had to be brave about this one. Rachel introduced herself to him because he was too much of a chicken-shit to initiate it first. He had been kicking himself ever since. He sort of had to redeem himself from that pathetic display of courage. He took a deep breath.

"If you don't have anything to do tonight, maybe you would like to have dinner with me after your rehearsal? We could go and grab a pizza at Alfred's, something low-key,"

Rachel's eyes, wide as saucers, looked intensely at Finn.

"…Or not?" Finn asked, unsure of what to make of Rachel's reaction. Had he messed up again?

"No, no! I would love to!"

_Score!_

"But it's just that…"

_Why was there always a 'but' in everything?_

"I don't know what time I will be getting off from rehearsal. I would probably finished around seven- but I would hated to have you wait at Alfred's for me,"

"I could pick you up. Y'know, from rehearsal? From the theatre, I mean."

"You wouldn't mind?"

Would Finn mind? Hell no! One: he had finally scored himself a date with the most interesting girl he had ever met in his life. Two: he would finally heard her sing, not from recordings. Three: Finn could probably check out his competition, figuring it was the play's rehearsal and he would be there. Well, to be honest, the third reason was pretty much _the_ reason of picking up Rachel from her rehearsal. To finally met _that guy_. Finn smirked a little at his own plan. _You're a genius, Hudson._

"You might have to wait for a bit before we wrap things up. Are you sure, Finn?"

"Absolutely." He confidently answered her, nodding repetitively.

"Well then, I guess we are seeing each other tonight," she said as both Finn and her stood up to get ready for the day that was ahead of them.

"It's a date?" Finn asked while he buttoned his grey coat. This morning had been colder than usual.

"It's a date," Rachel said as she walked outside and looked back at him, smiling that shy smile Finn had grown to love. He felt his heart pounding hard against his chest, as if it was pleading with him to let it escape from his rib cage and chased Rachel down the road.

If too much of a good thing will kill you- Rachel Berry would definitely be the death of Finn Hudson.

***TBC***


	5. Chapter 5: The Game Plan

_Hi my fellow gleeks?_

_How are you guys? I hope you guys had a good week so far :-) Thanks so much for the birthday wishes that you guys put on the reviews. I'm so so so blessed to have made such great friends through this site :-) I had a day off from work on my birthday (it's a company policy that we would never work on our birthdays - bless them!) and had a lovely brunch with a couple of my girlfriends. It's actually winter here in Australia, and it had been freezing lately, but I love winter so I don't mind!_

_Anyhoo - here is the fifth chapter of the story. I hope you find it believable and enjoyable so far :-) I will try harder to update more regularly and make the story even better for you guys. Apologies if I had been posting short chapters, as I really don't know how to prolong each chapter. If I forced myself, it would've been even worse and long-winding. I really need to learn to produce longer chapters! Here's hoping!_

_Thank you for taking the time to read this fiction out of your busy schedules. Your reviews/feedbacks/comments/criticisms/corrections are most invaluable to me and much appreciated :-)_

_Til next time! Glee FTW!_

_Disclaimer: I made a wish while blowing out the candles on my birthday cake that I could own even a percentage of Glee. I would be happy with just a percentage. Even more if I owned all of it. _

* * *

Finn Hudson paced back and forth on the football field, watching his kids practice their game plan. He didn't feel like coaching them today, and he figured that the kids would probably realised that their usual upbeat coach was on the edge today. He knew he was supposed to concentrate on them instead of having his mind wandered off somewhere else… with Rachel Berry, to be exact. He couldn't even stand still for _one second_.

He would be going out with Rachel tonight as in a _date_. He was finally man enough to asked her out and to his pleasure, Rachel had said yes. He wasn't worried about the actual date, because he had a feeling that it would be great _(they had been having 'dates' every morning for five consecutive days now)_. He was more concern about meeting _the_ rival during her rehearsal. What if she was really into that guy? But then again, she wouldn't accept his invitation to have dinner, would she?

He let out a sigh, and fished out his phone from his back pocket. He dialled a familiar number of the one person he knew would gave him a pep-talk of some sort in these kind of situations.

"Yo, Hudson! What's up, asswipe?" Puck answered the phone after the sixth ring.

" Hey, man. Watcha doin?"

"Same old, same old. Goin' over the blueprints for my next construction job. I'm a busy busy man, Hudson! How is the big apple? Score with the _ladies_ yet?" Puck emphasised on the word 'ladies'. Finn could hear as snicker forming on Puck's face.

"No ladies, just _a lady,_"

"Weak, Finnessa! A sea of fine young ladies, and you only tap _one_? Dude, you ain't got the flow no more,"

"It's not even like that!" Finn sighed. "I think I might really actually like her, like, _a lot,_"

"Dude, you sounded like a chick,"

"Shut it, Puckerman. She's something else," Finn continued as he sat himself on one of the benches. His eyes locked unto the players on the football field, staring at them with a blank look on his face.

"I met her at this coffee shop and miraculously Kurt knew her. She's a Broadway actress in the making and she's _really_ amazing. We met every morning for coffee and I finally asked her out to grab a pizza with me tonight,"

There would be no way that Finn would let Puck know that Rachel introduced herself to him because he's too much of a coward to initiate it. Puck would have had a field day with that.

"That's what I'm talkin' bout! Forget about the pizza, dude. Go and eat _her!_"

"Seriously, what are you? Five? Cut it out, man! I'm serious!"

"Geez, relax dude! What had gotten into you? PMS?" Puck sounded kind of annoyed of Finn's sudden lack of sense of humour.

"Kurt said she is kinda with someone… that co-star of hers. Kurt said he was charming and all that shit. I haven't met the guy yet, but I'm picking her up at the theatre tonight, so there's a big chance I might run into him-" Finn blabbered away before Puck cut him off.

"You didn't see any wedding ring, did you?"

"No-"

"Well then, it's an unmarked territory! Man up and win her, wimp. Finders keepers, losers weepers," Puck replied as if he just heard the most ridiculous thing ever.

"What if she wasn't into me like I was into her?" Finn asked the million dollar question.

"Dude, seriously. You've been hanging out with Hummel far too much! I know you guys are stepbrothers and whatnot, but he's turning you into Finnessa. I ain't cool with that!"

"I know, I know," Finn put his palm over his face. "It's just that, I've never felt this way about someone. _Ever_. It scares the hell out of me, man. You don't understand!"

There was a silence for a couple of seconds before Puck responded.

"I _do_ know how that feels, man. That was exactly how I felt when I first realised that I had a thing for Quinn,"

Back in high school, Finn kind of knew that there was always something going on between his best friend and his then-head-cheerleader-girlfriend, but he couldn't seem to put two and two together, until he caught them kissing in the auditorium after hours. He remembered being _very_ angry about it and broke up with Quinn right there and then. He threw a punch at Puck's jaw as well and much to his dismay, Puck didn't try to punch him back. Quinn was crying, screaming and pleading as he walked out of the auditorium.

He ignored both Puck and Quinn for a few months, even though they had attempted to apologize to him numerous times. It got to a point where Puck wrote him an apology letter. Seriously, Puck writing a letter would probably the most ridiculous thing he had ever seen. It wasn't until he heard that Quinn was pregnant with Puck's baby that he finally realised that Puck really did love Quinn. The ladies' man and douche bag that Finn once knew dropped out of high school to work so he can provide for Quinn. It made him realised that he didn't love Quinn all that much to begin with. Finn and Quinn, even though they were _the_ power couple in McKinley High and their names totally rhymed with each other, didn't have whatever it was that Puck and Quinn had.

He remembered swallowing his pride and went over to Puck's one afternoon and shook his hand, giving him an assurance that he was _finally_ cool with everything. Things turned out for the better from there. Puck and Finn had gone back to become best friends and Quinn gave birth to a beautiful baby girl named Beth _(although Puck had been trying to named her Jackie Daniels – the male version of his favorite drink, Jack Daniels. Quinn shot down the idea furiously)_.

"Yeah, I know, man" Finn replied. To be honest, he was a bit jealous at Puck. Not because he had Quinn, but because he had found what he was looking for. Somebody that _gets_ him just as himself and love him nonetheless.

_Shit, he did really sound like a chick_.

"I'm asking Quinn to marry me," Finn couldn't believe what he just heard. Puck was going to ask Quinn to marry him? Wow.

"Dude. Wow. Really?"

"Yeah, it just hit me, y'know? I wanna have a real family with her and that entire white-picket fence thing. My construction business had finally took off - I finally had made enough money to get us a place of our own… so I bought a ring,"

"Wow," that was all Finn could muster. "Congratulations, man. Really. I'm happy for you both,"

"Don't jinx it, Hudson! I haven't asked her yet! You could congratulate me later when she said yes!"

"Alright, good luck man"

"Thanks, dude," Puck cleared his throat, signalling Finn that he was uncomfortable with the chick-flick moment they just shared.

"Look, you're really into her, like, _into_ her?" Puck continued, trying to change the subject.

"I think so. She's the most amazing person I've ever met,"

"Well, then it's simple, asswipe. Fight. For. Her. Who cares if she's really into this guy or not? She said yes on going out with you, didn't she? You got a shot man, just don't screw it up! Woo her!"

"_Woo_ her? Dude, who's the chick now? You've been watching too many Disney princess movies!" Finn grinned at the image of Puck watching Cinderella with Beth.

"Shut it, Hudson! Watching Disney channel doesn't make the Puckmeister less of a hunk! Now go and make me proud, young Skywalker. Show her you've got some balls- metaphorically _or literally_,"

"Douchebag"

"Asshole"

"Talk later, man. Say hi to Quinn and Beth for me,"

"Later, dude" Puck said before ending the call.

Finn sat on the bench a while longer, processing what Puck had said to him. He knew that Puck was right; Finn needed to man up and get in the game. He promised himself not to get intimidated by this other guy, however charming he was to Rachel. He knew that this thing he felt for her was the real deal, and he would have to win her heart, no matter what it takes. Finn shot up from the bench and walked over to the edge of the football field, hands on hips. He felt a sudden rush of adrenaline in his blood. With a newfound sense of determination and excitement, he shouted to his football team to step up their game. His eyes are now fixed on the prize.


	6. Chapter 6: Date Night

_Helloooooooooooooooo..._

_Gosh, it felt SO good to finally be able to sneak in to my happy glee bubble. I am so sorry for the absence and the lack of updates this past week and a half! Please don't hate me *puppy eyes* During my absence I still got a couple of new reviews and people subscribing and favorite-ing my story. Thank you so so so so so so so so so much for your never ending support! I really don't deserve it *sniff*._

_I was swamped with my daily routines and monochromatic real life stuff lately (boring!) AND I'm currently down with flu. I couldn't stop coughing and sneezing, I could make a song out of it. To tell you the truth, I had attempted to complete this chapter numerous times, but failed miserably, as my mind was preoccupied with 'things-I-have-to-do-but-I-really-dont-want-to' and the coughing didn't make it any easier either. My chest literally hurts from too much coughing *cough* writer's block *cough*._

_Anyhoo - here's the sixth chapter of the story! To make up for lost times, I put a longer chapter than usual. I hope it was worth your wait! I didn't get a chance to re-read and correct grammars, spelling, sentences etc as it is now already 1 am in Australia, and I really need to get some sleep right now so I could get up and go to work on time in the morning. So apologies as well if there are any incorrect spellings, grammars and sentences that don't really make sense, and maybe for extreme cheesiness and finchel fluffs!_

_Reviews/comments/corrections/critics/feedbacks are most welcome :-) Thank you so much for taking the time for reading this humble piece of mine :-) I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did writing it!_

_Viva La Finchel!_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Glee. If I do, there will be a Michael Jackson episode instead of a Britney Spears one (why, Ryan Murphy? WHY!) and Cory Monteith will be here by my side nursing me back to health (and more! hehe)_

* * *

It was ten to seven when Finn arrived at the front of the Eugene O'Neill Theatre. He saw the poster of 'Spring Awakening' posted on the walls, surrounded with bright lights. Kurt did tell him briefly what the play was all about, but he didn't know that it was going to be this… _intense_. By just looking at the poster, he felt _uneasy_. Like he had to call out the mailman any minute now. Was that Rachel's thigh on the poster? He kinda hoped so, but when he realised that there was a guy on top of the girl, he shot away the idea. That'd better not be Rachel's.

He swung open the front entrance and immediately felt warm, unsure whether it was the building's heater or the thought of seeing Rachel that immediately warmed him. He took of his grey coat off as he walked into the foyer of the theatre. He heard melodies being played from inside and he heard a female's singing voice. As he opened the door, the voice hit him. Hard. Fast. It was like nothing he had ever heard. It sent him to a realm of another world, another dimension, where the only two things existed was him and the owner of the beautiful voice. It was like going down the rabbit hole like in Alice in Wonderland.

The voice soared him up to the ninth cloud and sent chills down his spine. This must be what an angel sounded like. And even now, with four other women singing with her, they couldn't compete with her gift, her talent. Hers triumphed over the others easily. The beat of 'Mama Who Bore Me' got faster, so did Finn's heartbeat. He had listened to her recording the other night, but that didn't do her _any_ justice. She was marvellous beyond words.

Finn was still in a trance when Rachel his her last note. Rachel had to call out to him a couple of times before he snapped back to reality. When he remembered where he was, Rachel was only a few metres ahead of him.

"Finn! Hello? Are you there? Finn!"

"Oh! H-Hi, Rach!" he grinned awkwardly.

"I've been calling out to you a couple of times, but you didn't respond to any of it. It's as if you're not here. Are you alright?"

"I-uh. Sorry. I…" Rachel tilted her head and arched her eyebrow in confusion. _Get a grip, Hudson._

"You were amazing," Finn finally able to muster a sentence and let out the breath that he didn't realize he was holding. A tiny smile began to sneak up on Rachel's lips.

"Thank you, Finn," Rachel said, now smiling widely and unable to hide her sense of accomplishment. Finn could've sworn that she was glowing. _Why was it suddenly really hot in here? _

"Please give me a moment to get ready, alright? I have to pack up my music charts and personal belongings. I know you might be thinking why did I have to bring _all_ of the materials just for one practice. It might sound silly to some individuals, but I like to have everything I need handy anytime. A good Broadway actress should always be prepared,"

"Sure, I'll-"

"Rachel," Another voice interrupted their moment. Rachel turned her head to the source of the disruption. The guy walking towards them oozed confidence and charm in his every step. Finn cringed a little. _This must be him_.

"Hi, Jesse. What can I do you for?"

"I was wondering if you want to practice 'The Word of Your Body' with me for a little bit. I just felt like we didn't give enough… emotions to the song. It would be ideal to practice again until we get it right,"

"I'm so sorry, but I already have plans-"

"This will only take a minute, Rachel. I promise. Please?"

Rachel glanced at Finn, looking for his approval. "Finn? Would it be alright with you?" Jesse turned his head to Finn, his expression hardened at the sight of Finn. The brown-haired fellow set his sight back on Rachel, still watching Finn at the corner of his eyes.

"Um, sure Rach. If you're busy tonight, we can go tomorrow or some other night," Finn grabbed his grey coat, getting ready to leave and feeling absolutely defeated. He felt his heart broke.

"No, no. Please, stay. Just one song, I promise. This won't take long, as Jesse had said it will only take a minute, and then we can go. I really want to get that pizza with you, " Rachel stopped him on his track, touching his hand ever so gently.

"Please?" Finn stared into Rachel's big doe eyes, her hands still on his. When she stared at him that way, he felt dizzy. Her eyes were like these maze that he couldn't get out of. No, more like, he didn't want to get out of. He could get lost in those warm chocolate milk eyes of hers.

They stared at each other for a little while longer. Finn felt his lung collapsing from the lack of oxygen. It was like the all the air around them evaporated because of an extreme exposure of heat.

"Sure, Rach. I'll wait here," Finn regained his composure and smiled to Rachel as he pointed out to a seat right next to him. Rachel beamed and nodded. Seriously, how could he say no to that face?

"Thank you, Finn" she squeezed his hand in gratitude.

"No problem," he saw Rachel's eyes sparkled. Right there and then he swore that he would do anything in his powers to make Rachel's eyes twinkled all the time.

Jesse cleared his throat, ruining whatever moment Finn and Rachel was having. _Again_. It is official; Jesse St James is a jackass.

"Oh, dear. I'm so sorry! I can't believe I'm being this rude," Rachel gasped a little before letting go of Finn's hand. He missed the feel of her hands almost immediately. It was addictive.

"Finn, this is Jesse St James, my co-star," Rachel gestured her hands towards Jesse_. _"Jesse, this is Finn Hudson,"

Finn stepped forward and extended his right hand. He tried to be as cool, calm and collected as possible. There was _no way_ he would let this guy intimated him.

"Nice to meet you," he lied.

"…Likewise," Jesse replied, shaking Finn's hand reluctantly before he went back to face Rachel. Finn knew full well that Jesse didn't mean what he said, just like himself. They were just playing nice for Rachel.

"Shall we?" Jesse turned to Rachel and tilted his head towards the stage. This guy didn't even seem to acknowledge Finn's presence. That _St Jackass_. Finn almost smiled in his brilliantness in figuring out the perfect nickname for his rival. Wait til Puck heard it!

Rachel nodded. She turned her head to Finn one more time and flashed him an apologetic smile, obviously feeling bad for making him wait longer. Finn smiled a little, but his smile turned to a frown as soon as he saw Jesse took Rachel's hand in his as they walked up the stage together. Jesse briefly looked at Finn with a smirk on his face. Finn felt his blood boiling. It was clear that Jesse was making a _ridiculous _point that that Rachel belonged to _him_. He must be delusional.

Finn counted to ten to calm himself down. he would be the bigger man here _(he was a feet taller than St Jackass anyway) _and he couldn't take the risk of disappointing Rachel. He focused his thoughts on having pizza with Rachel later, and the possibility to hold hands with her again.

As soon as Jesse and Rachel began singing, he felt his insides shrivelled a little. St Jackass was good; _very_ good. _Dammit_. Finn clenched his fists, unwillingly admitting that Jesse and Rachel sounded very good together. The perfect duet , the perfect couple. On the other hand, Finn had never sung his whole life. He sang while he showered, and he sort of able to play drums, but that was it. He could never sing like that. _St Jackass – 1, Hudson – 0_.

The extra practice went a little bit longer than promised. It was already seven thirty when Finn glanced at his watch. Rachel had already repeated the song three times but Jesse kept saying that it wasn't perfect, as if to kept Rachel there longer.

Finn left out a sigh of relief when Rachel finally gathered her things and waved goodbye to Jesse and the pianist. He stood up as Rachel ran a little towards him. He saw Jesse from the corner of his eyes, staring at them with an unpleasant expression.

"Thank you so much for waiting, Finn. I'm so sorry it took longer than what I had promised, and I'm so very sorry to kept you waiting,"

"That's okay,"

"I'm glad you waited, though" Rachel smiled shyly. _Ah, waiting for her was worth it_.

She put on her navy blue trench coat and her red scarf, so did Finn with his grey coat. The chilly New York wind greeted them on their way out. They walked to Alfred's Pizzeria, which was just two blocks away.

"So, how long did you two know each other?" Finn broke the deafening silence between them.

"Who?"

"St James,"

"Oh. I knew him since high school,"

"You two went to same school?"

"No. We met in the National Showchoir championship. He was from Vocal Adrenaline, my school's rival glee club,"

"What club?"

"Glee club. You've never heard of glee club?" Rachel looked at him like she couldn't believe that someone didn't know what a glee club is.

"Glee club is a group of twelve people or more performing their vocal abilities in harmony complete with choreographies. It was such an exhilarating experience! Nothing quite like it really, except for performing in Broadway of course. It's about opening yourself to joy. My glee club, 'New Directions' had won the National Showchoir championship title for two consecutive years when I was in high school. I was their captain, you know," She explained in a breakneck speed, as she pridefully held her head high at the last sentence. Her adoration for her glee club was adamant in her expression.

"Wow. No wonder you were so good in singing, ex glee club captain,"

"I have you know, I started singing since I was eight and haven't stopped ever since. So, that too," she smiled playfully.

"I couldn't carry a tune. I can't sing to save my life" Finn chuckled.

"That's not possible," Rachel shook her head furiously. "I don't believe that. Have you even tried?" She turned her head, facing Finn with a stern look on her face.

"Well… not in public. I only sang when I showered,"

"Then, don't ever say that you cannot carry a tune, because I believe you can." She looked at him intently. "I heard you hummed,"

"Hummed? _Me?_ When?" He couldn't believe he absent-mindedly hummed in front of Rachel. God, it must've been so painful to hear!

"Two days ago at the coffee shop. It was to 'One' by U2 that John played in the stereo. You didn't sound out of tune at all. I bet you can sing, you just didn't know it yet,"

"You know U2?"

"Of course I do! A great Broadway actress had to have a broad knowledge of other music genres. Who knows one day they will make a U2 musical? Look at Greenday – they have their own Broadway musical show now. I don't want to be boxed into a certain type of Broadway actress – I want to be a chameleon. I can do 'Wicked' but I also can do U2,"

Finn was amazed at her ability to speak so quickly in a very short time frame. To some people this might be annoying, but her babble sort of brought calm in his heart.

"Point taken," he nodded. "But I was just humming, not singing,"

Rachel suddenly stopped walking and stared intently at Finn. "You still don't believe me, do you? I know what a good singer sounded like even if it was only through a hum. You, Finn Hudson, can sing,"

Finn shrugged at her statement. It was humiliating enough to admit to her that he couldn't do what she could, even more after he realised that St Jackass could sing as good as Rachel.

"Let me proof it to you,"

"Rach, c'mon. I told you I can't-"

"Wanna bet, Hudson?" Rachel arched her eyebrow at Finn, putting on her best poker face. "Unless you're scared of losing to a girl, of course," she smirked.

"I never lost a bet, Berry," he turned to face her. "Bring it,"

"The loser buys ice cream for the winner. Deal?"

"Deal," they shook hands.

"Come on. Let's take a little detour. Prepare to be surprised at yourself, Finn. And be prepared to lose the bet," She took Finn's hand and dragged him along a few blocks. Not that he mind of course. To be honest, he rather enjoyed the feeling of her soft hand. He began to feel that heat again, it seemed to be generated from their handholding.

Rachel swung open the door to a bar. Finn immediately knew where he was from the big screen that played an instrumental version of ABBA's 'Dancing Queen' while a group of girls sung to the lyrics shown on the screen.

"A karaoke bar? Seriously, Rach?"

"Dead serious. You're not scared _now_, are you?"

"Rach, there are, like, _other people_ here!"

"It is perfect. They would help us judge who wins and who loses. And don't you try to purposely sound bad because I would know," she pointed her index finger on his chest. He wondered whether she could feel what she did to his heartbeat.

"Fine,"

Finn sat down on the bar stool as Rachel ordered a Cosmopolitan for herself. Finn gestured to the bartender to get him a beer – he would definitely need it for tonight.

It was painful to hear the group of girls on the stage singing Dancing Queen. He saw Rachel cringed a few times at the far from perfect pitch the girls sung. This made him even more nervous, he had _never_ sung in public, even if it's in a karaoke bar. What if she cringed while he was singing? That would be such a horror, and maybe made her realise that Finn wasn't for her, unlike St Jackass. Jesse would've nailed this thing effortlessly.

"Wait here,"

Rachel walked over to the operator and whispered something as the operator nodded. She went back to their spot with her million-dollar smile, obviously pleased with herself.

"What did you do?"

"Oh, I only requested the song we are singing,"

Finn almost choked on his beer. "Hang on – We? We're singing _together?_"

"Yes,"

"Rach- Believe me, it would be _so_ embarrassing for you to sing with a tone deaf like me,"

"Don't argue. It's a done deal. And you're _not_ tone deaf. How many times do I have to-" She stopped and sighed. "Never mind. You'll see that I'm right,"

Before he could argue more, Finn heard both his and Rachel's name being announced as the next performers. An enthusiastic applause filled the bar. Rachel stood up almost immediately and dragged Finn towards the stage. He groaned a little, knowing full well that he couldn't escape this one.

"I had the liberty to request something that I know you would know and like," she whispered to his ear before they reached the stage. Her sweet breaths left tingling sensations and do weird things to his body. She took two microphones from the operator and thanked him courteously. She passed one of them to Finn and smiled.

As the first few notes of Journey's 'Don't Stop Believing', Finn felt his body tensed. This was really happening. Rachel put her hand on his arm to calm him down.

"Relax, and just enjoy yourself. Trust me," as she giving his arm an encouraging squeeze.

Finn took a deep breath and began. _Here goes nothing._

_Just a small town girl, living in a lonely world.  
__She took the midnight train going anywhere._

Rachel followed shortly.

_Just a city boy, born and raised in South Detroit.  
__He took the midnight train going anywhere._

And the rest was history. Miraculously, their harmonies matched each other's perfectly. Finn didn't know how he knew the harmony – but he just did. Maybe he unknowingly memorised it from the many times he put this song on repeat on his iPod. He couldn't even remember being nervous; he was just wondering why he didn't actually give this a try sooner. He had no idea he actually enjoyed singing this much.

Don't get him started on singing with Rachel. It was _awesome_. They began moving to the beat and suddenly he twirled her and was dancing in sync with her. It felt like he was born to do this with her. It was a rush of adrenaline, in a good way. The audiences swayed left and right, some was bobbing their heads along, some sang a long with them and clapped their hands. He usually didn't really like losing to a bet _(not that he ever lost - except to Puck maybe) _but he was sure glad that Rachel proved him wrong tonight.

At the end of their performance, the crowd roared with applause, some even gave them standing ovations. Rachel beamed at the applause, turning her face to Finn to give him the 'I told you so' face. Finn was still high on adrenaline and couldn't stop smiling. They both bowed and went down the stage, arms in arms.

"Oh wow. That was fun,"

"I told you so! And the crowd loved you! See, I was right. You most definitely can sing. You are _so_ buying me an ice cream!" she jumped up and down with excitement, grabbing tightly to his arm.

"Alright. Alright. I wasn't as bad as I thought. I lost. I'm buying you an ice cream," he put his hands up, defeated. He did surprise himself.

They ended up not having dinner at Alfred's. They stayed at the karaoke bar, ordered food and sang a couple more songs. This singing-with-Rachel thing was superb. He just couldn't seem to have enough, and he wanted more singing-with-Rachel. It was like nothing he had ever experience. It was addictive. _She_ was addictive, his own personal choice of drugs.

It was almost eleven when he walked her home that night. Along the way, he bought her a cookies and cream and butter pecan ice cream cone. He got one for himself too. They spent the night talking and laughing, still completely overwhelmed by the whole karaoke bar experience. Rachel had told him to imagine doing that with a group and perfectly choreographed dance routine. Finn agreed that it would double the fun. She even taught him to do a 'show face' – a face with a smile so optimistic it could cure cancer. They ended up laughing so hard at the many failed attempts of Finn's 'show face'.

"This is me,"

They stopped at the stairs of her townhouse. She still lived with her two gay dads. Being the only child made her fathers couldn't bear with the thought of her living alone, and they forbid her to move out from their house just yet.

"So…" Finn shuffled nervously. He always didn't know what to do at the end of a first date. He _really_ wanted to kiss her though, but he shot the thought down, thinking it was probably a bit too soon.

"Thank you for the lovely evening, and for the ice cream. It was so much fun," she smiled a shy smile. A flash of red went on both of her cheeks.

"My pleasure, Rach. And thank you for proving me wrong," he grinned.

"I guess you just experienced your first lost of a bet, then. There will be many more to come, I'm sure," they smiled nervously; both unsure on what to do next and definitely not wanting the night to end.

"So, I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Yeah, see you tomorrow Rach," he took a step backwards, ready to head home (although he really didn't want to).

It was like magic, when he felt her gentle kiss on his cheek. Her hand cupped his face and her eyes closed. The kiss lingered for a while and she whispered a sweet good night in his ear. A smile was all he could muster when she went up the stairs, opening the front door and giving him another smile before she closed the door.

"Good night, Rach," he said softly, as if he was whispering it back to her ears. His body felt warm and he swore he could still smell strawberries. He wanted to knock at her front door again and kissed her, but it wouldn't be the best idea considering her dads would be home. That wouldn't make a good first impression. He turned and walked home unwillingly, humming the Journey song that they did earlier and wishing to hold on to this feeling. He was _definitely _high on Rachel-ecstasy.

St Jackass - 1, Hudson - 1

***TBC***


End file.
